Our Last Day in Alaska
We woke up on our 5th day and realized that it was our last day in Alaska. We were wishing we had a couple more days to see a few more things but we also knew that we were headed back to the lower 48 for more adventure filled days. So after a brief moment of sadness we decided to make the most of our last day and headed south from Anchorage. The plan was to head out on the scenic Seward Highway and take it as far as Portage Glacier with a stop at Alyeska Resort. We figured this was about as far as we could get before we had to return for our 5:00 PM flight from Anchorage to Seattle. So after a great hot breakfast at the Embassy Suites we were on our way.
The Scenic Seward Highway
We only had part of a day to make the drive but we tried to maximize our time as usual. We started in Anchorage and headed South along the Seward Highway. The entire drive to Seward is about 127 miles and we didn't have time to get there and back and see things along the way so we chose to go part of the way, stopping to view the scenery in Turnagain Arm and the Portage Glacier area. Now we have traveled on some "Scenic Byways" before and sometimes we haven't found them all that scenic.....this was NOT the case with the Seward Highway! As soon as we started out on the roadway we were in awe of the beauty of our surroundings. Every bend in the road brought a brand new sight and started a flurry of picture taking! It was like you just couldn't take in enough.
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| Heading out the Seward Highway |
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| Beautiful views along the Seward Highway |
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| Driving along the Turnagain Arm |
One of the big differences between our Denali experience and our Seward Highway Experience is that the wildlife was so much closer to the roadway and so much easier to spot and photograph. This is what we thought we would be seeing in Alaska.
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| Dahl Sheep along the Seward Highway |
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| The sheep were right on the side of the roadway! |
After passing Bird Point Scenic overlook and the Kenai Penninsula Turnouts we headed on through Girdwood. There was a nice gas station here where you could refuel, buy some snacks and use the restroom. Definitey, a stop worth making as gas stations are few and far between. Girdwood is also the home of the Alyeska Resort. We wanted to make a stop here but it was a bit too early to ride the Aerial Tram so we passed through on our way to the Portage area and made a point to stop back on our way back to Anchorage.
Portage Glacier
Blue Ice Trail
As you round the bend from Girdwood and continue South on the Seward Highway, the next stop is Portage. We made a short stop just a few miles before reaching the Portage Glacier area and took a short walk on the Blue Ice Trail. It was amazing.....glaciers in the mountains, crystal clear streams and a flowing stream that was "raspberry blue". Definitely worth a stop to look around and it was bit of a preview of what was to come next.
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| Glacier in the Mountain along the Blue Ice Trail |
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| Raspberry Blue Water near the Glacier |
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| Crystal Clear Streams where the Salmon Spawn |
The other thing that we started to notice were beautiful cascading waterfalls down the mountains from the snow melt.
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| Cascading Waterfalls flowing down the mountains |
After a short stop here....we continued on our way to our ultimate destination for the day....Portage Glacier. I mean after all you can't go to Alaska and not see a glacier can you???
The Visitor's Center
The first stop in the Portage area is at the Begich-Boggs Visitor's Center. Portage Glacier is a valley glacier and is no longer visible from the Visitor's Center. However, the Visitor's Center offers some educational displays, a nice restroom and some great views of iceburgs in the lake outside. You can actually walk down to the lake and put your hand in and see just how cold the water is!! This doesn't have to be a very long stop but definitely a stop you should make!
Once you've stopped at the Visitor's Center...it's time to head down the road a bit and take the boat crusie to see the glacier itself.
Portage Glacier Cruises
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| The MV Ptarmigan getting ready to load up Passengers! |
The Portage Glacier Cruise operates from mid-May through Mid-September with departures at 10:30 AM, 12:00 PM, 1:30 PM, 3:00 PM and 4:30 PM. The cruise is 60 minutes long, fully narrated, takes you within 300 yards of the glacier and costs $34.00/adult and $17.00/child. It is WELL worth the investment of time and money! We had a great time here and voted this the best thing we did while in Alaska!
The ship has an upstairs open deck and and lower enclosed area. If you really want to see the glacier, make sure you get up to the top deck. It's a bit cold and often times drizzling so make sure you dress in layers and wear something waterproof.
You start out on the cruise and go through some extremely blue (raspberry blue) areas of the lake. There are waterfalls on every side and small icebergs floating around in the lake. Don't worry, the boat is more than capable of handling the icebergs. Here are some of the views from the early portion of our cruise:
Then all of a sudden you spot the Glacier! We were told that this is a small glacier but since it's the only glacier we saw on our trip, we were fascinated by it! The boat makes several passes by the glacier from different angles, finally getting you within 300 yards of it. Our captain, Sean Connery (yes that was really his name!), stopped and explained what we were seeing and made sure that everyone got a chance to take pictures of the glacier and with the glacier.
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| Our Captain....Sean Connery....Really! |
The cruise was very informative and on the way back they actually fished a piece of the iceberg out of the water so you could see it and touch it. They chipped small pieces off and even let you hold a piece.
The cruise was very informative and well worth the cost. It was good for all ages and really enjoyable. The boat launch had a small snack bar and gift shop as well as restrooms. I would definitely recommend this cruise as part of your experience if you are in the Portage area!!
Alyeska
After our cruise, we packed everything back up (of course we had to buy a few souvenirs!) and headed back up the Seward Highway toward Anchorage. It was later now and the Aerial Tram was open at Alyeska so we made a stop here. Alyeska is a ski resort with a resort hotel and spa on the premises. We didn't have time to check out the inside of the hotel but it certainly looked very nice from the outside. During the off season, the resort offers rides to the top of the mountain to see the spectacular views. The tram runs from the beginning of May through the beginning of October. I wouldn't say that it was a "cheap" thing to do, especially for a family but it was a great view from the top of the mountain. We purchased a tram and lunch combo at $30.00/adult since it was lunch time and it was cheaper to buy the combo than to pay separately for lunch. The menu is pretty standard cafeteria fare, sandwiches, chicken tenders, fries....but it was nice to sit down and look at the view while we ate.
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| View from the Aerial Tram at Alyeska |
Once you are at the top you can walk around and take pictures and have your lunch for as long as you would like. Trams depart every 15 minutes so when you are ready to go back down the mountain, you just line up at the departure area and catch the next available tram.
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| The top of Alyeska |
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| My son was having a great time in the snow at the end of June! |
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| View from the top of Alyeska |
There is also a small gift shop at the top and heated restrooms. One thing to note here is that the parking area is a little bit of a walk to the tram ticketing area and it is all uphill. If you have any sort of mobility issues, you may want to be dropped off closer to the tram loading area.
Back to Anchorage
Unfortunately it was time for us to head back to Anchorage, return our rental vehicle and check in for our flight to Seattle. We all really wished that we had an extra day or two to go further on the Seward Highway and agreed that if/when we make a return trip to Alaska....it was this area on which we would like to focus our energy. This was a beautiful drive and I'm sure the remainder of the drive would have been equally beautiful. It is definitely a stunner and a must do! We made it to the airport in plenty of time. Anchorage airport is not huge and is very easy to get around. We were headed back to Seattle to begin the second part of our vacation!
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